How Security and mPERS Dealers Can Prepare For The Day 3G Disappears

This year, major networks including Verizon and AT&T plan on shutting down operations on their 3G towers. Security and mPERS dealers who have not taken the necessary steps to prepare for this shutdown will find their business in a bad situation. For security dealers and medical alert monitoring businesses, this shutdown could lead to major attrition rates, and potentially putting customers in danger. Don’t put your business or your customers in that situation. Start planning now and put your business in a position to succeed after 3G is laid to rest.

Create A List Of Subscribers

There is a good chance that there are plenty of customers on your subscriber list who have technology using 3G networks. You must replace their technology and equipment with 4G and 5G (when it comes out) equipment. This might be a huge task, so start now. If you feel as though you are missing subscribers, or that you might have an incomplete list, it is always a good idea to contact your monitoring company. They should be able to help you out with a full list of subscribers.

Get Your Equipment Purchased And Ready

While you are making a list of subscribers, you should also be preparing to get the equipment needed for your upgrades. Every subscriber on the list will need to have an equipment upgrade, so seeking out equipment quickly is important. The best way to go about this is look for deals or promotions. Reach out to wholesale equipment dealers and see if you can find the equipment you are looking for.

Consider Offering A Promotion For Upgrading

Nobody is going to want to hear that their equipment is no longer going to work and that they need to spend more money to upgrade equipment. It's best to try to ease into the upgrade by offering something along with it. You can offer a free month of service for upgrading, or throw in a free piece of security equipment for the promotion. Any sort of promotion will help your customers ease into the transition and feel like they are not being bamboozled.

Cell phone companies and providers do this all the time. Trade in your old phone and get a new one with X amount of discount. Or switch from one service to another and get your first month free. Promotions are a great way to go with such a hefty transition in equipment.

Contact Your Subscribers And Schedule Upgrade Appointments

Next, you will need to start contacting customers and scheduling upgrades on the equipment. Let them know the benefits of upgrading (beyond their old equipment not working anymore). And use any promotions you have running along with this upgrade to help incentivize your customers to upgrade.

But if you have a large subscriber list, this can be a daunting task. Don’t bite off more than you can chew. Set small goals per week or per month to get all of your subscribers completely upgraded by the end of the year (or the deadline that you set).

If you take the necessary steps, the move away from 3G won’t be as scary for your company as it may seem. And if you are looking for a monitoring center partner during this transition, reach out to AvantGuard to see how our services can benefit your security or mPERS business.